iDidn't have to
by electricstories96
Summary: Sam turns eighteen and she wants to join the army, but wont say why, so, when Freddie joins as well, what will happen between these two best friends. summary sucks because i'm in a rush to write it. story wont suck.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hi, i'm electricstories96, i wrote this story because the idea popped into my head yesterday and i decided that i would write it before i lost it, i'm currently in the middle of another story, but i thought this would be a good idead for a story, so since i'm writing two stories it will be a while before i can update each, so please stick with them, they'll both be updated.**

iDidn't Have To:

_(10 Years earlier)_

"Alright class, today we're going to learn about long division." My teacher says way too cheerily. I hate school, I've always hated school, and the only thing good about it is that I get to see my friend Carly when I'm here. If it weren't for her, I'd probably have failed the third grade. Suddenly, the principles voice comes over the PA system.

"Attention all faculty and staff, please report to the library immediately." My teacher stops then looks up at the speaker exasperatedly.

"Okay class, I'll be right back." She heads for the door and stops. "Carly, you're in charge while I'm gone." She says and walks out. Carly gets up and walks to the front of the class. She's wearing a pink t-shirt, a blue skirt and white leggings.

"Now then, everyone take out your homework, I'm going to walk around an make sure that you've done it." Carly says very sincerely. There's an eruption of 'boos' from our classmates.

"Sit back down!" yells one of the boys.

"You stink!" yells another. Carly looks down at the ground and sniffles, I can tell she's about to cry.

"Hey, all of you can shut up or I'll make you taste your own blood!" I stand and yell at them. The entire class quiets down immediately and Carly looks up at me with a smile on her face.

"Thanks Sam." Carly says and has everyone take out his or her homework. While she does this, I get up from my desk and walk to the door. I'm about to go get a drink from the water fountain, but hear my teacher and the principle talking on the other side of it. I stop moving and listen closely, they're whispering so I don't get a lot of it, but I hear some.

"We can't show them, they're only in the fourth grade." My teacher whisper yells.

"These children are very mature for their ages and some of them have parents in there." The principle responds. "Now, we're going to go in there, explain and show them what's happening." I back away from the door and quickly move to my seat. As soon as I sit down, the door opens and two men bring in a TV on a cart. My teacher follows them in and sends Carly to her seat.

"Class, something horrible has happened today, and your principle and I think you deserve to know." She says. The two men turn on the television and turn to the news. On the TV is a video of two buildings with smoke coming out of them.

"What happened?" asks the tiny boy sitting next to me.

"Early this morning, two planes flew into the world trade center." She says and points at the two buildings. "Those buildings there."

"Was it an accident?" asks Carly. The teacher looks down, then back at us.

"At first it looked like it, but now it looks like it was planned." She responds. I just sit there and look at the TV, transfixed. Only two words escape my lips.

"Oh no."

_(Present Day)_

"Sam stop!" Freddie calls after me as I walk down the hallway.

"No." I say and continue toward the elevator.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asks as he runs up next to me.

"You didn't do anything wrong, I've just got to go do something." I tell him and hit the elevator button.

"It's your eighteenth birthday, what could you possibly have to do?" he asks me as he steps into the elevator with me and I press the lobby button.

"I have to go enlist in the army." I tell him plainly and he laughs in response. I look at him and he sees my sincerity.

"Oh my God you're serious." He says finally understanding. The elevator doors open and I walk into the lobby and out of the building. "Sam, you can't join the army." Freddie says as he follows me.

"And why can't I?" I ask him as I walk into the parking garage.

"Because…because…." He fumbles for an idea. "Because I'm your best guy friend and I'm saying no." He says unsure of himself. I stop moving and then walk right up to him.

"So, you think that because I chose to be friends with you, you get to order me around?" I ask him.

"No, but I assumed that it at least gave my opinions some weight." He says.

"It does, Fred-head." I tell him sweetly and pat his cheek. "Just not in this scenario." I say and turn to continue walking. I walk right up to black Ford F1-50 and stand next to the passenger door.

"Why are you standing next to my car?" Freddie asks.

"Because you're going to give me a ride." I say.

"Where to?" he asks.

"The enlistment office downtown." I tell him. He stares at me, clearly looking for something to say. Before he can speak, his phone makes a 'ping' noise and he grabs it from his pocket and looks at it. "What is it?" I ask him.

"It's Carly, she wants to know when I'm bringing you over for your birthday breakfast." He tells me. "What am I supposed to tell her?" He asks.

"You could tell her the truth, or you could be the best guy friend ever and lie for me." I tell him. He looks at me for a minute, then texts Carly a reply. "What did you do?" I ask.

"What do you think?" he asks me. "I am and always will be, your best guy friend ever." I smile and run up and hug him. "I'm not gonna give you a ride though." He says. I let go and turn to walk.

"Fine, I'll walk all the way there." I say over my shoulder as I walk away slowly. "I'll have to go through some sketchy neighborhoods." I say after I've gone a little farther. "I'll need to cut through some dirty alleys." I add. "Maybe I'll meet a dangerous hobo on crack." I say before turning and walking out of the garage so he can't see me. I wait there and listen for him to call after me, but he doesn't. So I poke my head around he corner and see that he hasn't moved and is looking right at me with a smirk on his face. "Maybe I'll get mugged." I add and look at him with the cutest face I could muster. He tries not to make eye contact, because if he looks at my puppy dog eyes, he'll fold and give me the ride. I step back into the garage and continue to look at him with my 'sad eyes.' He takes out his phone and tries to distract himself with it. I take a few steps closer and he looks up at the ceiling as if it interested him. This continues until I'm about two steps from him. I now have my bottom lip stuck out, my eyes are slightly watering and I've begun to whimper and finally he looks me in the eyes.

"Fine!" he yells and I smile.

"Good, now hurry, I don't want to be late." We get in the car and drive most of the way in silence. We're only about half way there and he stops the car.

"What?" I ask him

"Why are you doing this?" He asks me.

"Because I have to." I tell him.

"Why?" he asks.

"Because." I tell him getting annoyed.

"But Why?" he asks raising his voice.

"Because!" I respond, getting louder myself.

"WHY?" He yells.

"Because of what happened 10 years ago." I yell. He looks at me dumbfounded.

"You mean, the 9/11 attacks?" he asks and I nod. "I understand that it's a big deal but I didn't know it effected you so much, you were only eight when it happened." He says.

"Seven." I correct him.

"What?" he asks confused.

"I was only seven when my dad died." I tell him, not meeting his questioning eyes. "My dad was there that day, when the towers came down, he was in the north tower." We sit there in awkward silence, and then he grabs my hand.

"I'm so sorry, I never knew." He apologizes.

"It's okay." I tell him and he kisses me lightly on the forehead. My eyes open wide and I have to resist the urge to smile at the contact. He starts the car and we drive the rest of the way in silence. We get there and he walks me in, there is a woman behind the desk who points me towards a room to the left. "I guess I'll see you in a few minutes." I tell him and walk into the room. There is a man behind a desk who sits me down, asks me a few questions, and then has me sign a contract. He gives some dates and places I'll need to be and I walk out into the lobby. I get in there, but Freddie isn't here. I'm about to ask the woman, when he walks out of a different room with a smile on his face. "What did you just do?" I ask him worriedly.

"I joined the army." He says happily.

"Why?" I yell at him. He looks at me with that same smile on his face.

"Because."

**Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, please review, it helps me update faster. ATTENTION, my computer is down for now and ch2 is saved on it, i'll be using a laptop for now, so until i get my computer back this story and my other story Ultimate Power will be put on hold, in the meantime, i'll probably post some other ideas i had so be on the lookout for those.  
><strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long a wait but my computer died on me, i made this chapter longer and as realistic as i could with a rather limited knowledge of what happens in the military, hope you enjoy it.**

iDidn't Have To:

The ride home was awkward to say the least. I didn't want to talk to Freddie. I just sat there and stared out of the passenger window.

"Are you mad?" he asks me.

"Yes I'm mad." I reply quickly.

"Oh." He says and continues to drive. "Why?" he asks.

"Because I didn't want YOU to join the army." I snap at him. He looks at me with both confusion and anger.

"Really? I thought we were becoming friends." He says angrily. I look at him as if he just slapped me.

"We are friends." I tell him.

"Then why don't you want me to join?" he asks.

"Because… Because…" I can't tell the real reason. If he got hurt in battle or... worse, I'd probably die too, out of heartbreak. Yeah, I love the idiot, can we move on before this gets too mushy. "Because… your mom would kill me if anything happens to you." I tell him finally. He looks at me for a second, then seems to accept my answer and goes back to driving. I go back to starring out of the passenger side window and we stay silent the entire way back to Bushwell plaza. It's not until we're in the elevator that a question occurs to me. "Why did you enlist?" I ask him. "I mean, you didn't really answer me before, so why?" he looks at me and is unsure of what to say; I can see it in his eyes. After a moment of silence he speaks.

"I couldn't let you go to war by yourself. I needed to join to make sure you came back safely." I look him in the eyes and see the sincerity behind them. I throw my arms around him and hug him as hard as I can. He's hesitant for a second, but then hugs me back. I bury my face in his neck and breathe him in.

"You didn't have to do that." I whisper to him.

"I didn't have to, but I wanted to." He responds and pulls me in closer. I know he's Freddie and that I shouldn't be having these feelings, they could wreck our friendship, but I just needed this hug. I don't know what would have happened next, but the elevator's bell 'dinged' and we pull apart as we step into the Shay apartment. We are immediately greeted by a very cheery Carly.

"Happy birthday!" she cries and throws her arms around my neck in a hug. "Spencer and I had to eat your breakfast. What took you guys so long to get here?" she asks. I look over at Freddie and see that he is as hesitant as I am. "What?" Carly asks seeing us look at each other. "Did something happen between you two?"

"Um, sort of." Freddie answers.

"What do you mean sort of?" asks Carly, "Remember, no more secrets." She adds.

"We joined the army." I tell her. She looks me in the eye, and then breaks out laughing.

"That's hilarious." She gasps out between laughing fits. She continues laughing until she sees our faces. "Wait… you REALLY joined the ARMY?" she screeches.

"Now Carly, calm down." I say reassuringly while she hyperventilates.

"Why?" she asks after she calms down a bit. I look to Freddie and he nods. Freddie steps forward to answer.

"It's very simple Carly," he starts calmly, "Sam made me do it!" he yells and points at me. I'm still calmly looking at Carly when I throw a punch in his direction and feel my fist connect with his nose. There's a dull 'thunk' as he hits the ground and his moans fill the room with a sort of ambient noise.

"That's not true at all." I assure her evenly. "I signed up for…" I trail of as I glance at Freddie, "personal reasons." I finish.

"What about you Freddie?" Carly asks him innocently.

"I had a reason, but it's hard to remember it with a BLEEDING NOSE!" he shouts his last two words at me from the floor.

"Well, when are you leaving?" She asks desperately. I look at my feet with fear at her response.

"We're supposed to report to the Yakima training center at the end of the week." I wait for her outburst, but it never comes. I look up to see her smiling, tears in her eyes, but smiling nonetheless. Again, she wraps her arms around me and hugs me tight.

"I'm gonna miss you two." She whispers through her tears. She lets go of me and moves to hug Freddie, who has just got up off of the floor. She pulls him in and he accepts the hug. She whispers something to him and his eyes open wide in surprise, but then take on a look of understanding. They pull away and he nods to her.

"I will." He tells her and she smiles. I can't help but feel a pain in my chest when they hugged. I know they don't feel that way about each other, but it still hurts a little. It makes me think of our hug only five minutes before. At that moment Spencer bursts through the door with a box in his arms approximately the size of a cake.

"Is everybody happy?" he asks and upon seeing Carly with tears in her eyes and the sad looks on Freddie and I he follows this with, "What the Hell happened in here?"

"We'll tell you later." Freddie answers him.

"Is that my cake?" I ask pointing at the box in his arms. He looks down at the box and then back up at me with a look on his face that says 'Are you kidding?'

"Of course not, this is for Carly, Freddie, and me." He says and puts it down on the island between the kitchen and living room. He goes to the back door, opens it and wheels in a small cart with two large cakes in the shapes of a 1 and an 8. "This is your cake." My face lit up at the sight of the cake.

"You are the best brother ever!" I smile at him. He looks at me confused.

"Sam, I'm not your brother." He says gently.

"Yes you are." I tell him. "You take me in everyday, you feed me, you're there for me. You're the brother I never had." He smiles and walks up to me and wraps me in a hug.

"Happy birthday kiddo." He says.

"What is with all the hugging today?" Freddie asks aloud and we all look at him questioningly. "I mean, I'm all for it, but what is it about today that brings out the hugs in people?" I think about this and realize he's right.

"Maybe it's because we joined the army today." I tell him sarcastically. Spencer snaps to attention at hearing this. **(Get it? Military humor).**

"You joined the army today?" he asks looking at both of us.

"Surprise." Freddie adds lamely. The rest of the night and the week was filled with explanations, goodbyes, and cake… lots and lots of cake. Before I know what's happening, it's Friday and we're at the airport in our uniforms that we received in the mail. Spencer, Carly, and Mrs. Benson came to show us off. Mrs. Benson was crooning over Freddie in the corner and I was saying my last goodbyes to Carly and Spencer. Soon, Freddie pulls away from his mom and walks toward the gate. I quickly follow him over and walk next to him as we board the plane. When I know he isn't looking, I stare at him. I remember the day two years ago when we broke up in that elevator, looking back on it now, it was probably the worst day of my life. We take our seats on the plane and wait, soon our plane leaves the ground and I grip the arm rests and squeeze my eyes shut as the plane shakes with turbulence. There's a reason I didn't join the air force. I feel a hand on mine and look up to see its owner, Freddie smiles at me and just looking at him makes me feel better. "Don't worry, I'm here." He whispers. I'm not going to lie, that confused the shit out of me, but it made me feel better. I don't know if he's doing this as a friend or if he wants more. I decide to be bold and lace my fingers through his. I don't look at him as I do this and hope he doesn't make a big deal out of it. His hand tenses when I do it and I'm about to pull my hand away, but he squeezes my hand gently, and then relaxes. I keep my hand there and let the feeling of security wash over me. He gently rubs his thumb over the back of my hand and before I know it we're at the training site. We line up in rows and a tall black man in perfect uniform comes out in front of us. He says his name is Drill Sergeant Johnson, but we are to call him at all times as 'Yes Drill Sergeant', because that is all he wants to hear after he addresses us. He then told us that our 'Sorry little asses' would be put through the worst hell we have ever experienced and that when he was done with us we'd be 'crawling home to whatever ugly piece of garbage we call mama.' He then made us drop and give him twenty before sending us off to our barracks. What ensued was five weeks of mediocre food and what Drill Sergeant Johnson accurately described as 'Hell.' The only thing that made it all bearable was knowing that Freddie was right beside me all of the way. I learned how to stand, how to run, how to walk, how to shoot, how to fight and how to live. I also learned that Drill Sergeant Johnson's Grandmother was one tough ass lady, apparently, no matter how fast I was, how strong I was, how well I shot, or how far I threw a grenade, his grandmother could do it and do it better. After this period, we were all assigned to different military bases. I was assigned to a base in Nevada to complete my training and Freddie was assigned to camp victory… in Iraq. The only reason I got through basic training was because Freddie helped me through it. When Freddie heard we were assigned to different bases, no, different continents, he was just as depressed as I was. So, I went to Drill Sergeant Johnson and did something I'm not proud of. I begged him to get me to camp victory. I don't know what it was that I said, but I think it was when I mentioned Freddie's name; he turned on his heel and walked out. Freddie had always been some trouble for Drill Sergeant Johnson; he just didn't know when to shut up. That was yesterday, today I wake up and go to the mess hall for breakfast. I'm sitting at the table when Drill Sergeant Johnson comes up to me.

"Turns out that camp victory could use a few MPs if you're up for it." He tells me and I smile at him. "You've been reassigned. Hope you and your friend have…" he trailed off here, he doesn't seem too good with words, unless he's shouting them that is. I jump up and run over to Tony, Freddie hangs out with him a lot and I need to know where he is.

"I think he's outside, said he needed some air." Tony supplies and I almost sprint out the doors and look around. Sure enough Freddie's pacing back and forth a few yards away. I run-walk up to him to tell him the good news.

"Freddie I-" I start but he cuts me off by slamming his lips onto mine. I'm about to lose myself in the kiss, but he pulls back quickly.

"Listen Sam, I need to tell you now that I want to be more than friends, I think you feel the same way but I'm not sure, I just needed to tell you before I leave for Iraq." He says really fast. I stand there for a moment as what he says sinks in, and then grab him and pull him close, I press my lips onto his and slip my tongue in his mouth. I taste all of him for about a minute before I come up for air. Our faces are inches apart and I take a deep breath to get all the air back in my system.

"I just got reassigned to camp victory, we'll still be together for the rest of our training." I tell him softly. His eyes open wide and his mouth hangs open.

"Oh."

**Thank you for reading this chapter, i hope you enjoyed it, but the only way to tell is if you click that little button that says review.**


End file.
